T-Pain has explained why he decided to sell his complete music catalogue.

The father of three sold the rights to his work for $100 million (£74 million) 18 months ago. The Buy U a Drank singer said his wife, Amber Najm, and their children, daughter Lyriq and sons Muziq and Kaydnz, were his biggest consideration when making the choice.

Above everything else, he wanted to protect their financial future as the music business continues to change.

“I need everyone to understand something,” the singer and songwriter said during a Twitch livestream. “When streaming arrived, nobody approached us as artists and explained what was happening. Nobody asked, ‘We are preparing to place your music on streaming services, so what price would you like to set?’ Without warning or permission, our songs went from earning a dollar for every purchase to around 0.003 cents for each stream. None of us were consulted.”

He explained that the amount artists receive has continued to fall over the years, causing the value of his catalogue to become “smaller and smaller with time.”

“Do you honestly believe I would want to pass that uncertainty on to my children?” he asked. “After everything I have told you about my experiences in this industry, why would I place my children’s lives and their future in the hands of the music business?”

When T-Pain finalised the sale to HarbourView Equity in February last year, he said he was pleased that the company would “protect the lasting importance” of his music.

“This collection reflects many years of dedication, imagination and memorable experiences,” he said in a statement published on the company’s website. “I appreciate knowing it can continue growing and reaching more people. I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.”